Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-10-24

! The two westernmost islands of tn
( Sandwich group are known by variou
I names The English sailors call then
! THE Twins" the American sailor call
| them Punch and Judy They ar,
| iowu on the English sailing charts of ;
few years ago As The Big and Little Can
nihalS. with a note uf warning that al
boats sent on shore should be armed, a
the natives are "a treacheruus lot and ea
human flesh.
In the year 1879 | took a first mnte'.
berth out of san Francisco on the bri-
Harry Lee she having been sold TO partie,
in Honolulu. and the owners having en-
gagged Ia deliver her there. We had nC
trouble in shipping good crew. and bet
ter weather | never saw until we wer,
within two days run of our port. Ther
"" got gale which diSmastsd us and
swept two men overheard; ard when We
finally brought up il was under the lee oi
the Big Canuibal, in n sheltered bay. with
mastS and sails gone. bulwarkS nearly all
swept away. hOwSprit broken of, and the
brig leaking SO that We had 10 take long
spells at the pump 10 keep her ai,oat
w. had NOT been able 10 secure Al obSer-
Natiun for three days. and, although quite
certain that we had fallen in with one of
the Sandwich group, none of Us had ever
seen this particular island before. But
for the help Of a very powerful current
which caught the brig IA she was being
hurled upon the weather side of the island
not "A II an Of us would have lived to tell
the stoly. This current ran Us along the
shore IA I'd whirled us into "A bay on the lee
side, wlere our anchors found good = Id
in- cronnd ami brought us up in saf,.y.
II was two days before the storm blew
Itself out and the sea went down. We
lay within half mile "f the shore, and
had seen people on the beach every hour
IN the day. At night they had built fires
opposite our berth. as if 10 say that they
were our friends and 10 encourage us to
be of stout heart. From this circum-
stance our captain argued that We had
not been driven to the west as far as NJ
first supposed, and that We had at least
two islands between Us and Big Cannihal.
When the sea had gone down sufficient 10
warrant lis i'll lowering boat l WIS
ordered 10 take tie yawl and four men
and pull for the beach and ascertain our
whereabouts. The weather had con
tinued dark and cloudy and no ohserya-
tiGn could be taken. went away in the
boat without the slightest misgivings.
and withou: a fircarm OF any description.
We had settled il that there WAS nothing
TO fear. and | anticipated no trouble in
engaging a native craft TO run for some
OF the island ports and secure us the Aer-
vices of steam craft.
Almost opposite where the hull Of the
brig lay pitching at her anchor was the
mouth of a creek. and, although there
was a bar and the surf was rolling pretty
high, we entered the creek without acci-
dent. Just as we We're going over the
har il struck me as curious that none of
the natives had been ont TO visit us. Ii
wouldn't have been anything extra Of a
swim for native, while their little crafts
will live in sea which would roll a man
Of war rails under. 1t was now 10 o'clock
in the forenoon, and l remembered that
we had not seen n native OIL the beach
since soon after daylight. There was
10 one in sight now, and We ran
up the creek about a cables length
and grounded. There were two native
boats there, but not a person in sight. l
reasoned that n village must be close ut
hand and, leaving two Of the men 10 care
for the boat, took two others with me
and set out TO follow broad and well
beaten path, which / believed led 10 the
village In this | was correct. We had
not gone above half mile when We came
10 the village. We had scarcely caught
sight Of the first huts when we were our
selves discovered. and three minutes later
We're surrounded by 100 dusky people.
friendly welcome, and was
cood deal put out at our reception. Most
of the people We're Old men. women and
children There We're not above five or
six middle aged men. A circle was at
once formed about Us. and Us soon as they
saw that we were not armed we We're
seized, flung down and tied hand and
foot. had served with kanakas aboard
Of whalers and knew the dialect of the
islanders pretty well. 1t was therefore
with horror that l soon learned we We're
on Big Cannihal island, and that the ma
tivcs were greatly rejoiced at the prospect
of the feast before them. attempted to
say something, but the noise of their
shouts drowned my words, and each of
US WAS hustled of b. himself to a differ
ent hut.
was taken in hand by two stout fel-
lows. and when thrust into an empty hut
I turned on them and asked for an eX-
PLANTATION. They We're dumfoundcd to
hear me using the dialect, and ut once oX-
hibited a more friendly demeanor. They
had expected the brig to drive ashore, and
when she did not they feared she had too
large a crew for them TO attack. They
wanted to know where she was from. how
many men she had aboard and what her
proposed doing. told them my
object in coming ashore, but they al once
gave me to understand they would do
nothing. Ii would lie far better for them
if the brig was 10 drive ashore. offered
as high as $500 in gold if they would get
word of our condition 10 some civilized
port, but the fellows were immOvable.
They were set of outlaws. and held no
except with the smaller island.
4 ship touched at the islands new and
then for water or vegetables, but the ma
tivcs kept ont of sight and would do no
trading with the sailors. When | asked
after the rest Of the villagers they replied
that upward of forty men Were at the
smaller island, where a wreck had driven
ashore about two weeks before, but were
expected home next day.
And what do you propose 10 do with
u.s." finally inquired.
Roast al eat YOU" was the curt re-
plv. as they fastened the door and left me
alone.
/; seemed more thsu likely Why they
had not gone 10 the creek TO attack and
capture the sailors and the yawl | could
not understand but it seemed that our
among them rather surprised and
ratified them. When they had sccu, e,i is
they formed party OF twenty of the lest
men and set OFF for the creek, and in half
al hour this party returned shouting and
singing. The sailors had suspected
;lothing ard were easily captured. One
If them was put int" the hut with me,
ard he told NE they supposed they were
hcing invited 10 a feast of some sort, and
that the natives had Iny permission to
bring them to the village.
To bc honest with the reader. did not
think these islanders We're eaters Of
human flesh. / had been told 50 by
kanukas and Others, but the idea Of a
race of men living within a days sail of
civilization and given to such horrible
,,-acti,.as ,r,S TOO alSurl for even sailor